Global hopes have been pinned to a ceasefire in the Middle East this October, which sadly already looks very precarious, while President Trump has continued to flip-flop on Russia, leaving the future of Ukraine increasingly uncertain.<\/p>\n
For the UK, there have been some big foreign policy wins this month, from the Prime Minister’s trip to India, to hosting the Berlin Process Summit of Western Balkans leaders. Much of this though has been overshadowed by the collapse of the Chinese spying case here in the UK, which has thrown up questions not only about the case itself, but about the UK’s relationship with China and the UK’s espionage laws.<\/p>\n
And for BFPG, it has been a month focused on two of our key areas of interest – soft power and public opinion. Our new paper on science and soft power, detailed below, has been a particular highlight and I hope it is a useful addition to thinking about how the UK can be more creative in its foreign policy deployment in an increasingly turbulent global environment.<\/p>\n
The British Foreign Policy Group\u2019s latest report, \u2018Science and Soft Power: Building a New Narrative for the UK\u2019s Role in the World<\/strong><\/a>\u2019<\/strong>, explores how the UK\u2019s world-leading scientific expertise can strengthen the UK\u2019s global influence in an era of growing geopolitical competition.<\/p>\n Drawing on input from a series of expert roundtables with leaders from across the science and foreign policy sectors, held in partnership with the Wellcome Trust,\u00a0the report argues that the UK\u2019s scientific ecosystem makes a key contribution to the UK\u2019s international ambitions, by helping to foster trust and deepen international partnerships.<\/p>\n As the UK looks to define its role in a fast changing world, the report identifies opportunities to better leverage the UK\u2019s scientific expertise –\u00a0from AI and technology to life sciences and global health –\u00a0and, in turn, opportunities for authentic UK leadership in the world.<\/p>\n October had a firm focus on public opinion on foreign policy here at BFPG as we continue to circulate the key findings from our\u00a02025 annual public opinion survey<\/a>.<\/p>\nOctober Activities<\/strong><\/h3>\n